Dear Friends... who are family.
Good Afternoon. Now, how do I say this? O.K. On Either Saturday the 13th of August or Sunday the 14th of August 2005 I will go in for a minor procedure at Al Zahra Hospital in Sharjah. This is called embolization.
WHY?: As I had discovered a benign lump on my right kidney which is approximately 7c.m. X 7c.m. and is called an ANGIOMYOLIPOMA. It causes me discomfort on occasion and therefore I need to have it removed.
WHAT IS AN ANGIOMYOLIPOMA?: Angio meaning blood related i.e. blood vessels - Myo meaning muscle tissue - Lipoma meaning fat. And for once FAT is GOOD!!! why because a good fat content makes it benign and therefore not a malignant tumour.
HOW?: Through Embolization.
WHAT IS EMBOLIZATION?: "Embolization is a way of occluding (closing) one or more blood vessels that are doing more harm than good. Various materials may be used, depending on whether vessel occlusion is to be temporary or permanent, or whether large or small vessels are being treated. The material is passed through a catheter (a small plastic tube) with its tip lying in or near the vessel to be closed. This approach can be used to control or prevent abnormal bleeding as well as shut down the vessels that support a growing tumor. Therapeutic embolization may also serve to eliminate an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), an abnormal communication between an artery and a vein. The term "embolization" derives from embolus, which can be any object that circulates in the bloodstream until it lodges in a blood vessel?in this case, a synthetic material or medication specially designed to occlude the blood vessels." http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/interventional/catheter-embol.htm
WHO DOES IT?: An Intervention Radiologist: A radiologist who specializes in the use of fluoroscopy, CT, and ultrasound to guide passage through the skin by needle puncture, including introduction of wires and catheters for performing procedures such as biopsies, draining fluids, inserting catheters, or dilating or stenting narrowed ducts or vessels. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/interventional/catheter-embol.htm
HOW IS THE PROCEDURE PERFORMED?: "The first step is angiography (injection of x-ray dye into an artery or vein) to locate the exact site of bleeding or abnormality. A sedative is injected through an intravenous line to relax you. Occasionally a general anesthetic is given instead. The radiologist will numb an area of the groin just over the hip joint with a local aesthetic. A thin plastic tube (catheter) is introduced through a very small incision into the femoral artery, a large groin blood vessel, and guided by TV monitoring as close as possible to the area of abnormality. Contrast material then is injected and a series of x-rays are taken where even tiny thread-like vessels can be seen. An appropriate embolic material then is chosen and injected through the catheter to lodge at the treatment site. Repeat angiograms are done until bleeding is controlled or there is an enough embolic material in a tumour or vascular malformation. At the end of the procedure the radiologist removes the catheter and presses on the groin area for a short time to prevent bleeding from the site of catheter insertion. You can expect to stay in bed for six to eight hours afterwards." http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/interventional/catheter-embol.htm
WHAT WILL I EXPERIENCE?: "The intravenous (IV) sedative will make you feel relaxed and sleepy and you may nod off for brief periods, but generally you will remain awake throughout the procedure. You may feel slight pressure when the catheter is inserted, but no serious discomfort. Most patients experience some side effects after embolization. Pain is the most common, and can readily be controlled by oral or intravenous medication. It occurs because the oxygen supply to the treated area is cut off. Women who have embolization of fibroid tumours may have severe pain or cramps, not during the procedure but for eight to 12 hours afterward. Occasionally pain continues for as long as three or four days and may require IV treatment in the hospital. Mild headache may follow embolization of an intracranial arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Most patients leave the hospital within 24 hours of the procedure, but those who have considerable pain may have to stay for up to 48 hours. A majority of patients can resume their normal activities within a week. You may or may not remember some things about the procedure. Your radiologist probably will want to check your condition six weeks after embolization and again after three months and six months.
About one in five patients treated for fibroids will develop what is called post-embolization syndrome, which consists of fever (up to 102° F) that may be accompanied by loss of appetite and nausea or vomiting. The syndrome may occur after any embolization procedure, but is more prone to develop when a solid tumour is embolized. The symptoms usually resolve within three days, though they sometimes last longer and require medication to improve symptoms. These symptoms are the body's reaction to breakdown products from the tumours and are most common when very large tumours are embolized. " http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/interventional/catheter-embol.htm
I had this procedure back in November 2003 and have just found out a few weeks ago that the procedure was unsuccessful and now I'm in lots of pain again and it looks as though I may have to have a laparascopic procedure to remove the mass on my kidney. I would ask more questions about having this procedure and how successful it will be before you go ahead.
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